poor thing
by Axel bby
Summary: She knew the judge and beadle were mad for the yellow-haired women... but they wouldn't go that far, would they? :mrs. lovett: :one-shot: :pre-movie:


**author's note & disclaimer: i don't own any of these character but the events are my own views. pre-movie;; after the masquerade party.**

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It must have been three of so in the morning. It was the slamming of the door and the sound of something dropping on the stairs that woke Nellie up. She warily got out of the bed, careful not to awake to one next to her, and cautiously walked through the dark room. With hopes of it not being robbers, she walked towards the stairs.

There on the staircase, Lucy had fallen. Her body was trembling madly as if she were in the cold. Nellie put her hand on the shaking women. "Mrs. Barker," She whispered.

Lucy's hair was a mess and she smelt odd. A slight tint of alcohol and something else. Shoulders started to heave as it appeared she was crying. Was she still upset from Benjamin's arrest? It had been months ago. She'd don't her grieving, hadn't she?

"Love," Nellie mutter, gently getting Lucy to her back and trying to make the distressed women sit up properly. "Are you alright?"

Lucy looked at Nellie; her eyes shot with pure horror and trauma. They were glossy and dripping also. "M…" she seemed to attempt as speech and didn't succeed.

The baker made an uncertain face. "Com'on, dear," She said, trying to guide her to feet. The traumatized women shakily got up and clanged to Nellie. She dropped Lucy into the chair at the booth at the front of the shop. The baker pulled out a glass of gin and Lucy shook her head wearily. Nellie shrugged and put it on the counter. "Love, what happened?"

Now that she was waking up more, she was able to think a tad more clearly. She remembered that Lucy had been called away by the Beadle. Her jaw became ajar in a semi-gasp. "Mrs. Barker, Judge Turpin…? What…?"

Lucy seemed to wince at the name and she suddenly broke out into quiet sobbing. It wasn't quite right; the things Nellie was putting together. Sure, she knew that the judge and beadle were mad for the yellow-haired women… but they wouldn't have gone _that_ far?

She moved toward the booth, kneeled in front of Lucy, and put her hands on Lucy's shoulders to straighten her out. "What just happened, Mrs. Barker?" Nellie said very sternly.

"Whe…" She mumbled, her voice broken through her cries and shaking. "Joanna," she choked, "Where's she…?"

"Upstairs, asleep," Nellie told Lucy, "Mrs. Barker, _what _happened?" The baker demanded to know.

Lucy nodded her head as if to agree in telling by raised her hand to signal she need some time.

Nellie was not certain what she should do for Lucy while she tried to regain herself. "Would you like a drop of ale?" She offered. Lucy rejected the offer. Nellie frowned and sat down, staring as Lucy shaking like a leaf.

They sat there, just like that, for awhile. Lucy seemed trying to regain control of her body. Her mouth would open at times and a few squeaks be emitted but nothing more. Her eyes stared intensely at a single spot on the wood table.

xxx

She didn't notice she had fallen asleep until she woke up. The noise that woke her was a whole bunch of crashing. Lifted up her head drowsily. She saw Lucy taken back from the fallen bowls. Nellie got up, mumbling, "It's alright," and kneeling down to pick up the broken and cracked pottery.

"I-I'm going out," She stated urgently. Nellie looked up at Lucy.

"Love, you still haven't…" The look in her blue eyes put a silence on Nellie's words. The baker cautiously stood up. "May I go with you?" she asked.

Lucy seemed to strain for a quick excuse to go alone. "No," she ended up just saying.

Nellie wasn't quite sure what to do at this point. She had a feeling Lucy was going to do something no so nice. She watched the women leave without any more words. Nellie looked over to the broken pottery.

Something is terribly wrong.

She quickly went to get dressed and rushed out to see if she could still be able to find Lucy. Nellie walked slowly around Fleet Street. At the intersection, she looked both ways. Just in time. Lucy walked out of a store on the side. _The apothecary?_

The widow started to walk in Nellie's direction. She made a quick decision and turned in the same direction, so Lucy would turn into Fleet Street without passing Nellie. The baker looked over her shoulder when she was far enough. Lucy was gone. Turning on her heels, Nellie quickly went back to the street she resided on and then to her dwelling. Just in time to see Lucy walking up the stairs through the door's window. Cautiously, Nellie came in after her and followed her to the upstairs room silently.

A bottle fell onto the floor and Nellie hurried quicker up the stairs with anticipations.

"Mrs. Barker?" She called and Lucy rapidly looked over to Nellie. Her eyes were glossy. Nellie tilted her slightly to the right in question.

"Mrs. Lovett…" She murmured. Nellie's eyes looked down to the bottle on the floor.

"Love, what was that?" She asked concerned.

"Ah…" Lucy looked down at it. "Judge Turpin has a party last night," She mumbled. Nellie looked up at her immediately. She swooned. Nellie ran to catch her, but she fell too fast.

xxx

She was only able to get the rest of Lucy's story by her mindless ramblings and muttering for the next few weeks.

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**author's note: there we go. this has really just been sitting here unfinished for awhile. so i finished it. (: read and review please. it keeps me going D8 **

**(kelly, stop writting sweeney fanfictions. readers, stop encouraging her D': )**


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